Castlebeck Care Concerns

There are “serious concerns” about care at four Castlebeck-run services for people with learning difficulties, the Care Quality Commission has said.

It named Croxton Lodge, Leicestershire; Rose Villa, Bristol; Arden Vale, West Midlands; and Cedar Vale, Nottingham.

But the CQC said the problems it had found were not on the scale of those that led to the closure of Castlebeck’s Winterbourne View home, near Bristol.

The company said it would “urgently address” the CQC concerns.

The care regulator’s investigation was launched following the closure of Winterbourne View after a BBC Panorama investigation had captured footage of some of its most vulnerable patients being repeatedly pinned down, slapped, taunted and teased.

Twelve people have been arrested and released on bail in connection with the alleged abuse, pending further inquiries.

‘Demanded improvements’

A further seven hospitals or care homes run by Castlebeck do not fully comply with essential standards of quality and safety, said the CQC report.

Twelve Castlebeck-run services were found to be compliant with the essential standards which were reviewed.

The commission said it could not comment on the specific concerns it had raised.

However, in a statement Castlebeck said the report highlighted concerns over training quality, levels of staff experience, inadequate governance reporting systems, a failure to include people in decisions about their care and a lack of interesting activities for them.

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: “Our inspections have found a range of problems, many of which are found in a number of different services.

“This clearly suggests that there are problems that Castlebeck needs to address at a corporate level – the company needs to make root-and-branch improvements to its services and processes.”

‘Paramount importance’

She said the commission had demanded improvements and where it had immediate concerns about people’s safety, it had taken action, such as closing Winterbourne View.

The BBC learned in July that four members of staff had been suspended at Rose Villa, a nine-bed rehabilitation centre in the Brislington area of Bristol, following allegations of misconduct.

Castlebeck chief executive Lee Reed said the company acknowledged some of its services “have not met the high standards we would expect to achieve, or which the people in our care and their families rightfully deserve.

“We are committed to addressing all of these shortcomings as a matter of urgency.”

He said an internal review was being carried out and that action had already been taken.

“The safety and well-being of people in our care will always be of paramount importance to us and we will have a zero tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour directed against those who use our services.

“We remain deeply sorry for all that happened at Winterbourne View and also apologise for any incidences where our services have in the past not met the high standards that we, those we support and their families, expect and deserve.”

The chief executive of charity Mencap, Mark Goldring, said: “These types of facilities… have been used by the authorities as a dumping ground for more vulnerable adults.

“These hospitals should only be used when they are really needed for assessment and treatment. For most people, smaller, local services, which are built around the needs of the individual, are more suitable.”

Helga Pile from the public service workers union Unison said the privatised model of care forces “corners to be cut”.

“Elderly care is a service where mandatory regulation is vital to protect their interests,” she said.

She added that a review into elderly care in England by the Department of Health “must lead to a properly resourced regulation and inspection system and tougher standards on workforce training and support”.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said the government was working to ensure such a situation did not emerge again.

He told the BBC it was working with the local councils and the local NHS who arrange placements “to make sure that they’re now taking the necessary steps to assure us that they are safeguarding the welfare of people living in these institutions, and also reassuring relatives as well that safety and welfare and quality are the key considerations”.